1.It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) – In my freshman year of high school, my homeroom teacher played this for our class in one of the days before Christmas break. I remember liking it quite a bit, but it didn’t become something really special to me until I saw a big screen revival of it during Christmas-time almost three years ago.

2. Fantasia (1940) – First saw this in my early childhood, like most other classic era Disney fare. I had a soft spot for it back then, but it didn’t become a favorite until revisiting much later on in life when I was able to appreciate it better.

3. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) – Rented the DVD from my local library during my sophomore year of high school after an early dismissal via snowstorm. Was instantly blown away by it from my first viewing.

4. The Seventh Seal (1957) – During senior year of high school, I watched it on Youtube, separated into nine videos containing ten minutes of content each. Needless to say, this didn’t become a favorite of mine until I watched it all the way through some time later.

5. The Night of the Hunter (1955) – Watched it on TCM during the summer between my sophomore and junior years of high school. Instantly became a favorite of mine.

6. Lucky Star (1929) – Rented the DVD from Netflix during the summer between my sophomore and junior years of college (coincidentally reflecting the circumstances of my last film). Loved it right away, but it didn’t become a top ten contender until months later.

7. Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) – The only one of these I don’t remember all too well how I first saw it. I know it was on DVD at first, and then through constant re-watches it grew to become my favorite of the splendid Western genre.

8. The Godfather Part II (1974) – Rented the DVD from a local video store in the summer between my freshman and sophomore years of high school. The film in my top ten that’s been here for the longest.

9. Princess Mononoke (1997) – Remember renting a VHS copy sometime in the late 90’s and had no idea what to think of it. Years later I started to become more into Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli in general, and rediscovering this one was a real joy.

10. 25th Hour (2002) – Got the DVD from Netflix the summer between my senior year of high school and my freshman year of college. Loved it right away, but it wasn’t until multiple repeat viewings that this replaced Big Fish as the token aughts film in my top ten.

Order seen: Fantasia, Princess Mononoke, It’s a Wonderful Life, The Godfather Part II, 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Night of the Hunter, Once Upon a Time in the West, The Seventh Seal, 25th Hour, Lucky Star